Firefighters save a man's life in Crowthorne

Firefighters saved the life of an elderly man who collapsed in Crowthorne High Street today.

A crew from Wokingham were visiting Crowthorne for a training session when watch manager Tony Jell saw a pensioner fall outside a bookmakers.

He said: “I ran across and started CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) straight away as he wasn’t breathing. Luckily, Wokingham’s pump was just driving by and they immediately stopped to help. We carried on doing CPR until the paramedics arrived and we could hand him over to their expert care.”

Watch Manager Steve Beard, of Green Watch at Wokingham, added: “We were only there coincidentally as we were on our way to a training session. It just goes to show that you never know when you might need skills like this. We have since heard that the gentleman is likely to make a full recovery which is wonderful news and we wish him the best of luck.”

Ngozi Fakeye, from South Central Ambulance Service, said: “We are delighted the patient is likely to make a full recovery and grateful for the quick action of our fire service colleagues in starting CPR before ambulance clinicians arrived. This was a good job.’’